Chevrolet Medium Gold Irid. (53 (1975)) Touch Up Paint

The Look

This is the definitive shade of the mid-seventies square-body era. It captures a specific moment when trucks transitioned from purely utilitarian farm tools into stylish daily drivers. Because your truck has been on the road since the Ford administration, the original finish likely has a warm, weathered character that modern golds can't quite replicate. It is a heavy, earthy tone that looks its best when paired with the chrome trim packages common on the Cheyenne and Silverado trims of that year.

Technical Details

The "Irid." in the name stands for iridescent, which is a vintage term for a metallic finish. This means the paint is packed with tiny reflective flakes that give the gold its depth. Metallic finishes are more temperamental than solid colors because those flakes are heavy and love to sink to the bottom of the container. If you aren't careful, you will end up with mottling-those cloudy, uneven dark spots where the flakes bunched up too closely. To avoid this, you must ensure the flakes stay suspended so they lay flat on the surface and reflect light evenly.

Best Practices

Before you spray or dab Chevrolet Medium Gold Irid. (check for code 53 (1975)), you need to shake it for at least 60 seconds to wake up those metallic flakes. On a 1975 truck, you can usually verify your code on the Service Parts Identification sticker located inside the glove box. When applying the paint in your garage or a patch of shade, keep the container moving at all times to maintain a consistent flow of color. Never start your first stroke on the truck itself; instead, test the color on the included card to see how the gold settles. Allow plenty of drying time between light layers to build up the color without causing the heavy metallic particles to sag.